The U.S. has lost another living link to World War II history with the death of the last surviving officer of the U.S. military regiment that inspired HBO's award-winning "Band of Brothers."
Edward Shames, a member of the Easy Company unit whose actions formed the basis of the HBO miniseries and an earlier book of the same title, died Friday at the age of 99.
Shames, born in Norfolk, Virginia, on June 13, 1922, was a member of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. He was involved in some of WWII's most significant battles, making his first combat jump into Normandy on D-Day, volunteering for Operation Pegasus and fighting in Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge, according to the obituary.
